15 March 2010

Happy St. Paddy's Day!!! As far as I know I haven't a single Irish bone in my body but I celebrate on this day along with millions of other Irish and non-Irish Canadians. Regardless of your heritage, you're prob­ably very aware of St. Patrick's Day which is the traditional Irish holiday celebrated March 17th each and every year. Revellers will be observing this festive day by wearing green or meeting up with their friends at their favorite local Irish pub and drinking green beer tomorrow.

However you choose to celebrate I hope the luck 'o' the Irish follows you each and every day.

"May you live to be a hundred years

With one extra year to repent."

St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. The holiday has come to be associated with everything Irish... anything green and gold, shamrocks and luck. And what about leprechauns, faeries and the banshee?

There's a lot more to St. Patrick's Day than wearing green and knocking back a pint of Guinness. Although this is a good way to celebrate! Have one for me!!!­ Most importantly, to those who celebrate, the intended meaning of St. Patrick's Day is a traditional day for spiritual renewal and the offering of prayers for missionaries worldwide. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17.

I choose to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with FOOD!!!!What do you think of when you think of Irish food? I think of a good plain meal consisting of a trio of meat, vegetables and potatoes which became the symbol of comfort in Ireland after the Great Famine. If you’re looking for some traditional Irish food this St. Patrick’s Day, skip the corned beef and cabbage. The dish is an American invention, although delicious.

The Irish have given us the finest poets and writers, and their instinct toward lyrical music inherent in their language spices their food. Start St. Patrick's day over a hearty Irish breakfast, then plan for tea with scones and a fine word or two from a poem by Yeats or the lyric prose of Joyce, and finish the day with a meal of homemade Irish soda bread, a steak, and, of course, a potato dish. Their food is actually lighter than you may think. Top off the meal with a warming Irish whiskey or better yet a Guinness whose humble brew adds smoky, spicy flavor to recipes both sweet and savoury. As you're raising a pint of Guinness for St. Patrick's Day, remember to save some beer for cooking.

"May you live as long as you want,

And never want as long as you live."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!!

Make this St. Patrick's Day unforgettable with these Irish-inspired recipes.

Finely chop garlic, shallot and onion and place in a small bowl. Finely chop parsley and rosemary and add to the bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Guinness beer, Tamari and seasonings then mix well to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes to blend flavours.

Pre heat the grill and cook the steak. A thermometer inserted into center should register 125°F to 130°F for medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer steaks to carving board and let rest 5 minutes.

Place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan on the grill and reduce it for one or two minutes until slightly thickened. Add more beer to the marinade at this stage if desired. Slice steaks thinly across grain. Arrange on platter. Pour sauce over the steak and serve.

** This marinade recipe is enough for one steak. Multiply as necessary.

Preheat oven to 375F. Wash potatoes, prick all over with a fork. Rub lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and place on a rimmed sheet pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until they pierce easily all the way through with a skewer. Allow to sit and cool slightly while working on cabbage

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add cabbage to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add diced onions and toss to coat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and beginning to brown. Remove from heat and turn your attention back to the potatoes.

Cut each potato in half so that they will lay, cut side up, on a sheet pan. With a spoon, scoop most of the insides of each potato into a bowl, leaving a ¼” thick potato shell. Mash or rice the potatoes in the bowl.Add the warm milk, cream and melted ¼ cup of butter to the potatoes and toss with a fork until evenly mixed. Add the shredded Cheddar cheese, and the cabbage and onion mixture to the potatoes and stir to combine. Preheat your oven to 375F (or simply lower the heat if it is still going from baking the potatoes.)

Use an ice cream scoop or a spoon to fill the potato shells. Lightly spread the colcannon filling so that it mounds and covers the entire cut surface of the potato. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot all the way through and lightly browned on top. Serve topped with thinly sliced green onions. Alternatively, cover lightly with plastic wrap and place in freezer until frozen solid. Transfer frozen potatoes to a freezer ziplocked bag and store in freezer for up to three months.

You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

Everybody is Irish on St. Paddy's day! I love the Guinness and steak recipe...something about guinness with beef just makes my head spin. I like your twist on colcannon...you can never go wrong with twice baked potatoes!

There was one big problem with this post: you did not list what time I should be at your door with dinner. lol. This feast looks and sounds amazing! I have always wanted to make colcannon on my own. My grandfather was Irish and would make it and it is such a delicious dish.Everything looks perfect and Happy St. Patrick's Day to you.

I don't have any Irish blood either, but that certainly wouldn't stop me from scarfing down that Irish feast - I'd much rather have your steaks than corned beef! It all looks so good. Happy St. Paddy's Day!!

Happy St. Paddy's Day to you! No Irish blood here, either, but who cares, right? Love the marinade for the steak, and what a great idea for the colcannon. We're celebrating on Friday this year (how lame is that?) so I can drink Irish beer with my 80+ year old father in law whom I cook corned beef for every year. I just may do this version of colcannon instead!

I adore colcannon - such a great idea to use it to stuff twice baked potatoes! Brilliant!! Your guinness marinade sounds heavenly too - I love cooking with Guinness... I couldn't agree with you more about the perfect Irish day you described - yay for Yeats and Joyce!! :-)

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.